


Here in the Garden

by ZoisiteMoon



Series: Eyes on Me [4]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Aromantic Asexual White Diamond, Blood and Injury, Elementary School, Eye Trauma, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Gen, High School, Inspired by Kodomo no Kodomo, Junior High, Slice of Life, Teen Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-11
Updated: 2020-06-14
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:55:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 13,405
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23592673
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZoisiteMoon/pseuds/ZoisiteMoon
Summary: Petunia is shocked to discover that her best friend Kimber is pregnant despite only being in sixth grade. How will the two besties get through this?
Relationships: Blue Diamond & Pink Diamond & White Diamond & Yellow Diamond (Steven Universe), Pink DIamond & Pearl, Pink Diamond & Original Character, Pink Diamond & Pink Diamond's Original Pearl | Volleyball, Pink Diamond & Spinel (Steven Universe)
Series: Eyes on Me [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1451692
Comments: 2
Kudos: 13





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> What you are about to read covers a topic that might make you uncomfortable. As you may have seen in the tags, this fanfic was mainly inspired by "Kodomo no Kodomo," a manga revolving around an eleven-year-old girl being pregnant. If the plot turns you off enough to not want to read this thing, it's totally understandable.
> 
> This fanfic is mostly just about Spinel anyway, and it covers everything that happens in her life up until the events of the movie.
> 
> Also, for those of you who might be confused on who's who in this AU, here's a list of names:
> 
> Pink Diamond= Petunia Diamond  
> Pearl= Pearl Bradford  
> Volleyball= Coral Bradford  
> Opal= Opal Bradford  
> Rainbow Quartz 1.0= Rainbow Bradford  
> White Diamond= Whitney Diamond  
> Yellow Diamond= Golda "Goldie" Diamond  
> Blue Diamond= Maya Diamond  
> Spinel= Spinel Reynolds
> 
> Kimber and her family are OCs. Thus, they don't have canon counterparts.
> 
> With all of that said, enjoy the fanfic.

It started when Petunia got a call one day from Kimber, one of her best friends. She wasn't sure what to make of it.

"Hello?" Petunia spoke up. "Did you want to tell me something?"

"Uh-huh," Kimber replied. "But not right now."

"Why not?"

"It's better if I tell you in person. Can you come to my house tomorrow?"

"Sure, but I'll have to ask Mom first. I usually have to get her permission for going over to see friends anyways."

"Okay, guess I'll see you then."

Petunia hung up the phone and went out of her room to see what her mother wanted.

* * *

The next day came. Christmas was right around the corner, so Petunia knew that she'd have to find an excuse to see Kimber as quickly as possible. Neither Pearl nor Coral could hang out with her at the moment due to being busy with their own plans, so Petunia alone had to visit the Reynolds' house. She looked around for something that she could give her friend right then and there. She searched and searched for a bit. Finally, she came across an old Cabbage Patch Kid. This was the same one her brother had gotten her for her fifth birthday. Despite the fact that she'd only had it for six years up to this point, it seemed like such a long time ago when she got it.

After convincing her mother to give Kimber the old Cabbage Patch Kid as an early Christmas present, Petunia found herself in the passenger seat of her sister Goldie's yellow Ferrari. She'd never had a chance to ride in this car before. Goldie wasn't quite a generous woman, after all.

"I can't wait to give Kimber my present!" Petunia squealed excitedly.

"I know, Petunia," Goldie said dismissively. "You've been saying that almost the whole ride over."

"But I really want Kimber to like it!"

"Yes, Petunia, I know. It's almost Christmas. Of course, you have to get her a present."

"She also called and said she wanted to tell me something."

Goldie raised an eyebrow at this. "Did she?"

“Yeah! She wanted to tell me in person!”

“Hmm. As soon as you give her her present, all you’ll have to do is have Kimber tell you whatever she needs to tell you and then you’ll have to come right home.”

“Why? Couldn’t I just hang out with her for a little bit?”

“Mom wants you home sooner than later, so don’t screw around.”

Petunia let out a defeated sigh. “Okay.”

* * *

Petunia was the first one up on the Reynolds’ front porch and the first one to knock the door. Immediately afterwards, the door opened to reveal Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds.

Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds were relatively middle-aged compared to Petunia’s older twin sisters. Whereas the Diamond twins were just thirty, Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds were somewhere in their forties. Mr. Reynolds was fair-skinned while his wife was dark-skinned. That, however, were where the differences ended. They dressed relatively proper just like most affluent people in their neighborhood. Mrs. Reynolds, in particular, seemed to go out of her way to invoke both Janet Reno and Oprah Winfrey.

“Oh, hello, Petunia,” Mrs. Reynolds greeted her with a smile. “It’s nice to see you during this time of year.”

“Thanks, Mrs. Reynolds!” Petunia beamed up. “I’m here to give Kimber my old Cabbage Patch Kid.”

“Oh, how nice of you. You can give it to her after dinner. She hasn’t been feeling well lately.”

“What’s wrong with her?”

“We think it might be a stomach bug,” Mr. Reynolds answered Petunia. “She hasn’t been able to keep much down like before.”

“I hope she feels better soon.”

“Me too, Petunia, me too.”

Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds then allowed Petunia and Goldie to follow them into the house.


	2. Chapter 2

After she and Goldie had dinner with most of the Reynolds family, Petunia wandered off to see Kimber in the room and to drop off the Cabbage Patch Kid. To her surprise, however, Kimber wasn't there.

"Kimber?" Petunia called out. "Kimber? Kimber, where are you?"

"In here..." she heard a disembodied voice respond.

"Where?"

"In the bathroom."

Petunia's head turned to see a door adjacent to the bedroom door. "What are you doing in there?"

"Why don't you come on in and see for yourself?"

"Oh... uh, okay."

Petunia left her friend's room and headed off for the bathroom. When she got in, she saw Kimber sitting on the toilet seat and looking like a statue in distress.

"So what's going on?" Petunia asked once more. "What did you want to tell me? Why did we have to do it in person?"

Kimber sighed. "I'm not sure how I can tell you this... but..." She paused and rummaged through her trash basket to retrieve a pregnancy test. "I got two lines on it."

"Two lines?" Petunia asked, confused. "What's that mean?"

"It means... I'm pregnant."

"Pregnant? What's that mean?"

"It means I'm having a baby."

Petunia gasped. "You are? Oh my gosh, a real baby! That's amazing!"

It was then that Kimber started crying. "No, Petunia, you don't understand. We're both only eleven years old! I don't even know how this could've happened. I... I'm scared."

"A real baby, though, Kimber! That's so exciting!"

Kimber could hardly make herself intelligible as she continued to blubber. "What am I going to do if my parents find out, Petunia? How am I even supposed to get an abortion without them knowing?!"

Petunia just shrugged.

Kimber looked up with pleading eyes. "Petunia... you have to help me. I don't know what I can do."

Petunia thought about it for a moment. "Maybe Pearl and Coral can help me help you."

"What? Why them?"

"Their parents are doctors. They could probably ask for lots of stuff to help me help you with the baby."

"How do you know they'll help us?"

"They're my friends, too. They've always been able to get me through anything no matter what. They'll help you get through this."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Pretty sure." All of a sudden, Petunia heard Goldie calling her name. "Oh, that's Goldie. I gotta go. Let me know if you decide on anything, okay?"

Kimber sniffled and wiped away the tears from her face. "Okay..."

* * *

After a few hours, Petunia and Goldie made it home. The first person to see them back was their mother Whitney.

“How was dinner with the Reynolds, starlight?” Whitney asked Petunia.

“It was really good, Mom,” Petunia replied happily.

“Did Kimber like the gift you gave her?”

“She loved it!”

“Good, good.”

“Can I spend Christmas with the Reynolds, Mom?”

“No, starlight. Christmas is the holiday that you spend with your family.”

“But they _are_ my family.”

“ _Real_ family. I wish your brother would come visit for the holidays, but he never seems to want anything to do with me or even the rest of us these days. He even took Yoko’s last name to spite me, it seems.”

Goldie sighed. “His loss.”

“Exactly,” Whitney replied. “Are you going to stay over tonight, Goldie? I could really use some help for the decorations.”

“Yes, but not for too long. I have to go to work early tomorrow and interview someone who wants to join my label.”

“Aww, that’s too bad. We’d have a lot more fun if you didn’t have to work.”

“I know.” Goldie walked over to place her hand on her mother’s shoulder. “We don’t need John anyway. He’s got his own family to deal with. If he wants nothing to do with us, that’s on him. For now, we’ve got our own family holiday to deal with. Now where are the Christmas decorations?”

“They should be up in the attic, starlight. Why don’t you go look and see?”

“Hmm, alright.”

Goldie walked off and headed upstairs to where the attic was. Now Whitney and Petunia were left alone.

“Why don’t you get ready for bed, starlight?” Whitney asked Petunia. “Tomorrow, we’ll be doing some Christmas shopping for my friends.”

“Okay, Mom,” Petunia said. “Good night.”

Petunia headed off for her bedroom where she would retire for the night.


	3. Chapter 3

Two months had passed since Kimber first told Petunia that she was pregnant. She still wasn't sure what to do with the pregnancy at this point. She was still worried how her parents would react if they found out she'd had an abortion without their knowledge. On the other hand, keeping the baby didn't seem like such a great idea, either. She was only eleven, after all.

There were times where Kimber's hand would hover over her abdomen, fully aware that there was another human being growing in there. Could she really go through with an abortion? This little person surely would be feeling pain right now. It would know if its life was being snuffed out at this very moment. It would know that it could die at any time. She'd have to reflect on that a bit more and see if an abortion really would be worth it.

Valentine's Day came and went. Her classmates gave her as many cards and treats as they could, unaware that she was eating for two. She tried to go on like nothing happened, but her hand still insisted on resting itself right on her abdomen. It was a nervous tic at this point. It was like she was subconsciously assuring herself that the baby was still in one piece.

Soon, as if in the blink of an eye, it was the twenty-eight of February. Kimber noticed that her stomach was no longer flat. A small bump had formed. Kimber still wasn’t sure what to do. She decided to call her friend and ask for her opinion.

“Hello?” Petunia spoke when she picked up.

“Hey, Petunia,” Kimber said. “I wanted to ask you something.”

“Sure, you can ask me anything!”

“Thanks, Petunia. Do you... do you think I should go for an abortion?”

Petunia seemed somewhat reluctant to answer, given her own stance on abortion. “I... I mean, I guess if you want to...”

“That’s the thing, though. I don’t know if I should do it.”

“Why not?”

“I noticed for the first time that... I’m growing. It’s not just because of me. It’s because of my baby. I don’t know. I guess I wouldn’t feel right about it.”

“Are you sure you want to keep it?”

“No... I mean, I’ve got school and stuff to worry about, but...”

“Well, if you don’t think you should get an abortion, then you should keep it, right?”

“I... I guess.”

“Be honest: you want to keep it, don’t you?”

Kimber sighed heavily. “Yes. I don’t know why, either. I guess it’s because I like the idea of someone depending on me to help them. I like the idea that my relationship with its baby won’t have to change. You and I are friends now, but will we stay that way ten years from now? At least when I have this baby, I can always be certain that I’m going to be its mom.”

Petunia wasn’t sure what to say to that, not at first.

“Well?” Kimber asked after ten seconds of silence on the other end.

“That’s... that’s wonderful. I gotta tell Pearl and Coral about this right now.”

With that, Petunia hung up.

* * *

“She’s what?!” Pearl asked while dumbfounded. “How could she do that?”

“I don’t know,” Petunia replied with a shrug. “I don’t think she even knows why, either.”

“Why would she choose to keep it? Doesn’t she know how hard it’ll get?”

“I guess so, but she’s a smart girl. I’m sure she can figure it out somehow.”

“She’s only eleven years old, Petunia. We all are. She should be playing during recess, eating Lunchables with other kids, y’know... all the typical stuff eleven-year-olds do! She shouldn’t have to be worrying about how to juggle raising a baby while also getting ready for junior high!”

“This is Kimber we’re talking about, Pearl. She’s made her choice and she’s going to stick with it no matter what. If she wants to do this, we have to let her.”

“She could die, Petunia. How could we live with ourselves if she died?”

Now Petunia was at a loss for words. “Maybe she’ll die, maybe she won’t. Who are we to stop her? Her body, her choice.”

Pearl sighed. “Alright, you win. If she wants to risk her life carrying to term, then I guess we should let her.”

“So, uh...” Coral began. “Now that Kimber has decided not to get an abortion, how can we help her?”

“I guess we can ask our classmates to give her baby stuff,” Petunia replied.

“Are we talking clothes, toys, or...?”

“Yeah, that’s the idea.”

“Okay, I guess I could ask Rainbow and Opal to buy some of that for us. They could tell anybody who asked that they’re buying for our cousin in Vermont.”

Petunia nodded. “Sounds good to me.”


	4. Chapter 4

A week had passed since Petunia had told Pearl and Coral that Kimber was planning to keep her baby. Just now, Petunia, Pearl, Coral, Rainbow, and Opal were starting to stop by baby stores and buying items that Kimber would need. Neither Whitney, Mr. and Mrs. Bradford, nor Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds had any idea that their kids were doing this. The latter themselves were expecting a child at the same time, and so they had been quite busy with their own preparations.

The first place Petunia, Pearl, Coral, Rainbow, and Opal stopped by was Babies R Us. While still relatively new, this baby store was already growing to become one of the biggest of its kind, thanks mostly to being a subsidiary of Toys R Us. Toys, however, were the furthest things from the girls’ minds. They were more focused on finding things Kimber would like for her child. Out of all the girls, Petunia was the most excited to find items Kimber might need.

“Ooh, I wanna see everything they’ve got here!” Petunia squealed out.

“Keep it down, Petunia,” Pearl said. “We don’t want to draw any attention to ourselves.”

“Oh.” Petunia then just nodded. “Okay.”

Once they found the items they were looking for, the girls took the items right up to the cashier. Without even so much as bothering to see what the customers actually looked like, the cashier rang the items up and placed them inside plastic bags, categorizing them based on necessity.

“Alright, that’ll be eighty-five dollars, Miss...” the cashier was beginning to speak.

“Bradford,” Opal replied.

“Yes, Bradford. That will be eighty-five dollars.”

It didn’t take long for Opal to find the eighty-five dollars she needed to pay for the baby items.

“Here you go,” Opal said. “Keep the change.”

“Alright, thank you,” the cashier replied. “If you don’t mind my asking, who are these items for?”

“I’m getting these for my cousin in Florida. She’s been struggling ever since her boyfriend left her.”

“Ah. Sorry to hear that. Hope things get better for her.”

“Yeah, me too. Alright, take it easy.”

* * *

“Wow, this is all great,” Kimber said softly. “Thank you.”

“No problem,” Petunia replied. “Besides, you’re gonna need all the help you can get.”

“I know, I know. Still, it was really nice that you guys went out of your way to do this for me.”

“I’m sure you’ll do the same for me someday.” Petunia handed Kimber a onesie for her to lay on her lap. “What do you think of this onesie I helped Opal buy?”

Kimber laid the onesie as flatly as she could against her body. The onesie was yellow and had a cutesy sunflower printed on it with the words “Sunflower Baby” directly across the top. No one was certain what the baby would be right now, so they figured that something like this would be appropriate for now. The small bump in Kimber’s abdomen seemed to get bigger week by week. It would only be a matter of time before everyone else found out.

“It’s cute,” Kimber replied while smiling at the printed sunflower. “I can’t wait for the baby to wear it.”

“Me too.” Petunia laid her palm flat against Kimber’s bump. “Wow, you’ve been getting hard.”

“Alright, take it easy, Petunia. I’m only four months along.”

“Do you think it can hear me yet?”

“I doubt it. I might start to feel it move in a few weeks, though. I can let you feel sometime.”

“Cool. Are you excited to become a mommy?”

Kimber shook her head no. “The whole thing kinda scares me, actually. I know it’ll have to come out eventually, but I’m not sure I’ll be ready for it.” She started cradling her bump. “Who knows if the baby will be ready, either?”

“It’s gonna be alright, Kimber. You’ve got us to help you through it. I might have to ask Goldie and Maya to buy you some bigger clothes.”

“People will talk.”

“Would it be okay if I told the other kids at school that you were just gaining weight?”

“I guess so, but I’m not sure how long we could keep that up.”

Petunia turned to look at Pearl. “Hey, Pearl.”

“Yes, Petunia?” Pearl asked.

“Do you think some of the kids in class could keep a secret?”

“I guess we could give it a shot.”

“Awesome. Thanks, Pearl.”

* * *

Within a month, word had gotten around in school that Kimber was pregnant. Kimber didn’t quite mind the attention she got, especially when it came from kids who were younger than her. How the first- and second-graders loved talking to the baby and placing their hands over her swollen stomach.

Speaking of, she started experiencing her first tiny but strong kicks from inside at the beginning of April, something many people called “the quickening.” Sometimes, they could prove to be an inconvenience, especially during class. She tried her best to ignore them and focus on schoolwork. Sometimes, however, she’d stop for a brief moment and lovingly stroke her abdomen to calm the baby down. She hadn’t even considered that she would grow to love the little one that was in there.

Once, after a long day at school, Kimber went straight into her room to do her homework. Before she started, however, she got the idea to play some music on her Walkman and place the attached headphones on her bump. Pearl had told her how playing music was good for the baby, so Kimber didn’t see any reason not to give it a try. Just as Kimber was about to settle into her routine, she heard a knock at the door.

“Hey, Kimber!” she heard a small girl yell from behind the door.

“What?!” Kimber yelled back. “I’m trying to do homework!”

Four seconds of silence followed. “Can I borrow your Walkman?”

“Not right now, Aliena!”

“Please?”

“No.”

“Please??”

Kimber caved in and dropped everything to open the door. Her six-year-old adoptive sister/cousin just looked up at her with the most innocent smile and the widest eyes a girl her age could have.

“Can I have the Walkman now?” Aliena asked again.

“Sure,” Kimber replied. “But if I do that, can I tell you something private?”

Aliena wildly nodded her head.

“Alright, let me get the Walkman real quick, ‘kay?” She walked over to the bed and quickly snatched up the Walkman she’d been using before then handing them to Aliena. “Alright. You ready?”

Aliena wildly nodded her head again.

“Okay...” Kimber looked around once to make sure no one else was listening. “You’re going to be an aunt.”

“Wow...” Aliena didn’t know what to say. She just stood here with her eyes wide and her mouth wide open.

“Just promise you won’t tell Mom and Dad, okay?”

Aliena silently nodded her head. “Okay.”

Kimber just smiled at her adoptive sister. “Good.”


	5. Chapter 5

From that point on, whenever Kimber would come home from school, she’d go straight to her room and do her homework. At some point, Aliena would knock on her sister’s door and ask to come in. Now Kimber was more than happy to oblige with her sister, especially since Aliena appeared to keeping her end of the bargain.

Kimber gestured at Aliena to sit on the bed with her. Aliena wasn’t sure what to do at first, but after a few seconds she decided to just go with it.

“Hey, Aliena,” Kimber began. “Remember when I told you you were gonna be an aunt?”

“Yeah?” Aliena sounded. “What ‘bout it?”

“Well, I wasn’t kidding.” Kimber moved her blouse up a bit to reveal her bare bump, which already had started being marked with faint lines along the sides.

“Whoa... you got tiger stripes!”

Kimber looked down at her exposed stomach and chuckled softly. “I guess you could call them that. They just look so weird. Anyway, there’s something else I want to show you.”

“What is it?”

“Well...” Kimber patted the right side of her swollen belly. “It’s not so much that I want to show you something as it is I want you to hear something. If you don’t mind, just put your ear over here, will you?”

Aliena did as she was instructed.

“Now,” Kimber said. “Do you hear something?”

Aliena’s initial confusion made way for genuine surprise and wonder as she heard a “boom-boom-boom” on the other side.

“Whoa...” Aliena said. “What is that?”

“That's the baby's heartbeat." Kimber smiled.

“Cool. I can’t wait.”

“Me neither. I don’t know what to expect next, but I reckon that it won’t be easy to get through. When you get to be my age, you’ll know what that feeling is like.”

* * *

Easter had come at last. Petunia could hardly wait to go over to the Reynolds’ house for their annual Easter Egg Hunt. She was hoping Pearl and Coral would come with. After all, the three girls tended to spend Easter together every year.

While Petunia was daydreaming about all the fun she and her friends would have during the Easter Egg Hunt, her mother kept knocking at the door.

“Petunia?” Whitney asked on the other side. “Are you getting ready?” No answer. “Petunia? Petunia?? Answer me!”

Her mother’s impatient shout was enough to snap Petunia out of it. She hurried through dressing up in the dress, stockings, and shoes her mother had picked out for. She just wanted to get it over with as soon as possible. She couldn’t have her mother yell at her again, especially not after last year. She still recalled the memory with fear.

“Yeah, Mom,” Petunia squeaked. “I’m ready.” 

She could’ve sworn she heard her mother smile through the door.

“Good,” Whitney just said.

Petunia simply sighed and left the room to join her mother and sisters. Part of her was already dreading this day, but part of her also looked forward to the fun she would have with her friends. She allowed her mother to lead her into the passenger seat of her car. As soon as they took off, Petunia’s sisters followed them in their yellow and blue Ferraris.

Petunia tried her best to distract herself with all the good things to come today: spending time with her friends, the Easter Egg Hunt... that was about it, really. Aside from those, Petunia wasn't sure how the day could get any better. At least she'd have fun hunting for Easter eggs. She always looked forward to the Easter eggs and how colorful and unique they could be. While she hadn't had a chance to decorate some herself, she still imagined her own designs on them every year. Hopefully, sometime next year, her mother would let her start decorating them herself.

"Now, Petunia," Whitney began. "Just so you know, I want you to be on your absolute best behavior. Is that understood?"

Petunia sighed, having already been defeated before she could say anything. "Yes, Mom."

“Good.” There was a slight smile to her face. “I just need a reminder that I raised a good girl, that’s all.”

Petunia couldn’t help but cringe when her mother said that.

* * *

Just like when she and Goldie had visited last Christmas, Petunia was the first one up on the Reynolds’ front porch and the first one to knock the door. The door opened up to reveal Kimber wearing a shapeless gingham dress.

“Hey, Kimber,” Petunia greeted. “How’s your day been so far?”

Kimber giggled a bit. “It’s been good. What about you?” She then noticed Petunia’s slightly dour expression. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Petunia lied. “Just a bit tired.”

“Sorry to hear that. I hope you’re not too tired for the Easter Egg Hunt.”

“Me neither.”

“Hey, Kimber!” a young masculine voice shouted from behind. “Who’s that at the door?”

“It’s Petunia and her mom!” Kimber shouted back. “They’re here for Easter!”

“Oh, okay. Wait, where are Goldie and Maya?”

“Should be here soon.”

At just that moment, Goldie and Maya parked their Ferraris out onto the street in front of the Reynolds’ house.

Whitney turned around just in time to see her twin daughters getting out of their respective cars. She couldn’t help but smile.

“Goldie, Maya,” Whitney began. “You finally made it! What took you two so long?”

“Nothing important, really,” Goldie nonchalantly replied. “I had to stop by Walgreens and pick up some last-minute candy for Petunia.”

“I helped,” Maya chimed in.

“Why don’t you two come inside?” Whitney suggested. “Petunia can’t wait to start on her Easter Egg Hunt. I’m sure you two are also itching to catch Nora and Jeremy on everything that’s been happening in our lives.”

Maya nodded. “Oh, certainly. I can’t wait to tell them how many sales I’ve been getting lately.”


	6. Chapter 6

After eating dinner with Kimber and the rest of the Reynolds family, Petunia excused herself and made a quick dash for the backyard, which was perfectly spacious for an Easter Egg Hunt. Much to her delight, Pearl and Coral and the other quadruplet sisters also happened to be there. She couldn’t wait to have the best Easter of her life.

“Hey, Petunia!” Coral greeted her. “Nice seeing you here!”

“Nice seeing you too!” Petunia yelled delightfully. “So how’s your cousin over in Vermont or Florida or whatever doing?” She winked with her left eye as she asked this.

“She’s been doing fine,” Coral replied while also winking with her left eye. “Kimber loves the gifts we’ve been giving her. She also says she thinks the baby might be a girl.”

Petunia just stood there, confused. “Uh, how does she know?”

Coral shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t think she does know. She just said that she has a feeling, that’s all.”

“And what if she turns out to be wrong? Then what?”

“I don’t know. I guess we’ll have to wait and see.” All of a sudden, Coral saw Kimber approaching from behind Petunia. “Oh, hey, Kimber. We were just talking about you.”

"Neat," Kimber said. "What were you talking about?"

"We were talking about how much you like the gifts," Petunia replied. "Also, is it true you think the baby's a girl?"

Kimber nodded her head. "Call it intuition or whatever, but I'm getting a strong sense that I'm expecting a little girl." She cradled her bump with both of her hands. "Also, you have no idea how often she can move around in there. It's crazy."

"Maybe she's hoping to become a gymnast," Pearl joked.

Kimber couldn't help but laugh. "Maybe, or maybe she's hoping to get a career in soccer."

"That also seems possible."

"Totally."

While the young girls talked, they didn't seem aware that Goldie and Maya had been watching their conversation from afar.

"Um... Goldie?" Maya asked out of the blue.

"Yes, Maya?" Goldie asked back.

"Is it just me or does it seem like Kimber's been... gaining weight?"

"Ah, it's probably nothing. Just hormones, that's all."

"Don't you think it's odd that she's only gaining weight in her abdomen, though?"

"What are you trying to say, Maya?"

"Well..." It took a minute for the realization to sink in. "...I guess what I'm trying to say is that Kimber might be--"

"Maya, don't be ridiculous. How could Kimber possibly be pregnant? She's only a child."

"I know, but--"

"Knock it off, Maya." Goldie turned around to see Whitney chatting it up with Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds. “Do you know what would happen if you told Jeremy and Nora that you suspected Kimber was pregnant?”

“Not really.”

“They’d freak out and accuse you of trying to spread rumors. If anyone else caught wind of what you were saying, we’d have a huge scandal on our hands. God forbid we have to try to clean up that mess.”

“So what do we do?”

“We just wait and see what happens.”

* * *

And so the Easter Egg Hunt was on. While the rest of the kids went hunting in almost every section of the Reynolds’ backyard, Petunia, Kimber, Pearl, Coral, Marigold, and Skye were hunting for eggs in the flower garden. There were so many places those eggs could’ve been hidden: the rose bushes, the petunias on either side of the garden, the geraniums, the begonias, or perhaps even the pansies. Even so, the girls knew there might be a chance of finding some eggs here.

“Oh man, this place is so beautiful,” Petunia breathed. “Don’t you think, guys?”

“Definitely,” Pearl agreed. “I can’t believe Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds can even upkeep all this.”

“Oh yeah,” Kimber added. “They’ve got a gardener for that kind of stuff. My parents don’t really have green thumbs to speak of.”

“I wish our parents had a garden like this back home,” Coral couldn’t help but lament.

“Me too,” Skye chimed in.

“C’mon, guys, who cares about all that?” Marigold asked impatiently. “I just wanna go looking for eggs!”

Petunia immediately sprang up. “Oh yeah, that’s right! Come on, guys, let’s look for some eggs!”

The girls proceeded to start looking in wherever they could in this garden. Almost immediately, Petunia found an egg underneath a rose bush.

“Alright!” Petunia exclaimed. “One down, whoever knows how many more to go.”

About a half-hour passed by before they exhausted every possible space within the garden. By the end, Petunia had managed to nab five eggs, Kimber eight eggs, and the quadruplets four eggs each. As they were leaving the garden with their treasures, an older kid accosted them on the way out. He looked to be about twelve or thirteen, a bit old to go hunting for Easter eggs.

“I’m sorry, who are you supposed to be?” Kimber asked.

“The eggs,” the boy just said. “Hand them over.”

“Get your own, loser,” Marigold demanded. “We got these fair and square.”

"I said hand them over."

"Well, why don't you just get lost?"

"Make me."

The boy then proceeded to swing his open palm across Marigold's face and knock her to the ground. Petunia just stood there, frozen in fear. Kimber, however, just stared at the boy intently.

“What are ya looking at, fatty?” the boy mockingly asked.

“I’m not fat, you asshole!” Kimber yelled at him. “I’m having a baby! Yeah, that’s right. You’re willing to pick a fight with a pregnant girl.”

At first, the boy just stood there confused... but then he started laughing. He laughed for what seemed like two minutes on end. While the girls tried to process why he started laughing, he proceeded to take the opportunity to steal all of their eggs and run off. It took Petunia a minute before she realized what happened to the eggs.

“Oh my God!” Petunia exclaimed. “The eggs are gone... the eggs are gone!” She sat with her knees to her face and started sobbing. “The eggs are gone...”

“It’s gonna be alright, Petunia,” Kimber assured. “We’ll just find some more eggs.”

“No, it’s not,” Petunia rebutted. “We found those eggs fair and square.”

“Petunia...”

“No, you don’t get it!” Petunia suddenly snapped, tears still streaming down her face. “All I wanted was to have a good Easter, but no! This jerk had to come along and steal our eggs!”

“Petunia, please...”

“Is it too much to ask that I have a good Easter?” Petunia picked up a rock. “I just wanna throw this rock at his head and see it smash his stupid head open.”

Kimber’s eyes darted back and forth as she found herself growing unsettled by her friend’s anger. “Uh, Petunia, I don’t think throwing a rock at his head is gonna solve anything.”

“How do you know?!” Petunia threw the rock as hard as she could... “How can you be certain about anything?!”

Just as she asked this, the rock proceeded to impale itself into Coral’s left eye. Kimber hadn’t even noticed that Coral had been injured until the latter started screaming from the pain.

“Oh my God...” Petunia recoiled over what she’d just done. “I’m so sorry.”

“Oh God...” Kimber muttered. “Petunia, what have you done? If your mom finds out, you’re gonna be so dead.”

“I... I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for this to happen, I swear.”


	7. Chapter 7

A month had passed since Petunia had accidentally thrown a rock into Coral's eye and rendered her partly blind. While Coral had managed to forgive her friend for the incident, from that point on, she couldn't help but tremble in fear whenever Petunia got angry around her vicinity. Just as Kimber had predicted, Whitney was furious when she found out what her youngest daughter had done. Petunia found herself grounded for an entire month: no friends over, no visiting friends, no interaction with anyone besides her family. Without Petunia around, Kimber couldn't help but feel somewhat lonely. She had Pearl and her quadruplet sisters to help her through this ordeal, but it just wasn't the same without Petunia around.

Kimber was six months pregnant now and at the end of her second trimester. Her baby only seemed to want to move more as time went by. The kicking also started to hurt a bit, usually when it was localized to just one spot for minutes on end. It certainly was not helped by the child's habit of squeezing its mother's bladder like a stress ball whenever it felt like it. Between the baby starting to move more often, not being able to see Petunia for about a month, her parents preparing for their own little one, and the lingering trauma of watching Coral bleed out from what was left of her left eye, Kimber felt like things were going to get harder from there. Thank God the last day of elementary school was approaching...

As if in the blink of an eye, the last day of elementary school had finally come. As usual, her parents dropped her off at the front of school and she ran inside to join up with her classmates. However, because this was the last day of elementary school, the whole day felt somewhat bittersweet. While she was glad that she'd be out for the summer after today, she also couldn't help but find herself in a solemn mood whenever she thought about her inevitable move to junior high. Her hands cradled her bump as she reflected on all the good memories here. She'd made so many friends here. Who knew how many of them would be coming along with her for the next school year?

"Hey, Kimber!" she heard a voice call out to her.

Kimber turned around to see Sadie coming up to her.

"Oh, hey, Sadie," Kimber just said.

"What's wrong?"

Kimber just sighed. "Nothing. I just miss hanging out with Petunia, that's all. Ever since Whitney grounded her a month ago, I just haven't seen very much of her. I mean, I've still got Pearl and her sisters to help me out, but it's just not the same."

Sadie placed a hand on Kimber's shoulder and smiled. "I'm... sorry to hear that, but things are gonna be okay, I promise."

"I sure hope so. I'm going to be in junior high in three months. What if Whitney makes Petunia go to a different school? I just can't stand to think about it."

"Maybe Whitney will ease up and let you guys hang out again."

"Maybe... maybe she will, maybe she won't. How can we be sure?"

"We can't. At least today's the last day of school."

Kimber chuckled. "Yeah... yeah."

Just then, the bell rang.

"Oh!" Sadie exclaimed. "We're gonna be late to class!"

"You're right!" Kimber exclaimed back. "See ya later!"

And with that, Kimber headed off for class.

* * *

At precisely three in the afternoon, the bell rang for the last time. Kimber left the school with her yearbook and backpack in tow, eager to cherish the memories she had for six years of her life. She was so excited to enjoy summer while she could. It seemed like the baby was just excited. All throughout the school day, it bounced around and squeezed on its mother’s bladder a few times. Kimber had tried her best to ignore all that in class, so she was glad school was over for the summer. When she saw her parents' SUV at the front of the school, she ran as fast as she could into the backseat, making sure to keep her yearbook on her.

"So... how was your last day of school?" Nora asked her adoptive daughter.

"Really good, Mom," Kimber replied with a smile. "I'm so glad it's over."

"Not so fast, kiddo," Jeremy chimed in. "You've still got junior high to look forward to."

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot about that." Kimber looked back at the school as her mother was driving the SUV away. "I'm really going to miss my friends back there."

"Oh, don't feel bad, honey," Nora said. "I'm sure you'll make new friends when you get to junior high."

"What about my friends now?"

"Oh, I'm not really sure about that. Life can be so unpredictable, you know."

"Yeah... I guess so."

"Really, though, we may think we can control what happens to us but we can't. We just have to take it one day at a time."

Kimber sighed and continued to look back out the window as the SUV made its way for home. "Guess you're right."

* * *

"How have you been, Coral?" Kimber asked her friend. "Still getting used to only seeing out of one eye?"

Coral nodded solemnly. "Yeah. I seriously thought I was going to die when it first happened. At least Opal and Rainbow were there to take me to the hospital."

"So what happened? Why did the doctors decide they couldn't save it?"

"They just couldn't. It was too badly damaged." Her hands gravitated towards the eyepatch she was wearing. "You wanna see my eye socket?"

"Oh no, no thank you."

Coral sighed. "I had a feeling you'd say no. I hate what this has done to me." She started crying. "I never wanted to lose an eye, never."

Kimber reached out and comforted her. "Aw, it's okay. It's gonna be fine. It's just that life can be so unpredictable. We may think we can control what happens to us but we can't. We just have to take it one day at a time."

Coral's face softened at this. "Yeah... I guess so."

"I don't know what else I could say to help you, but..." Kimber managed to hold Coral in a tight-enough embrace. "All I can say is... you're not alone."


	8. Chapter 8

Two days had passed since school let out for the summer. Kimber was taking an afternoon nap for two when she heard a tap at the window.

"Huh?" Kimber sounded. "What the heck could that be?"

She looked out the window to see...

"Petunia?" Kimber asked, confused. "What are you doing here?"

"Mom said I'm not grounded anymore," Petunia replied.

“Really?” Kimber asked, confused. “Since when?”

“Since yesterday.”

“I see...” Kimber looked at Petunia questioningly. “So... what did you want to do today?”

“Oh, you know, just hang out.”

“That’s all?”

“Yeah, I missed hanging out with you most of all.”

“What about Pearl and her sisters?”

"I miss them, too, but I'll try to see them tomorrow. Right now, I want to hang out with you."

"Aw, that's sweet." Kimber made a brief glance at her bedroom door. "You know, I still have some lunch money left over. We could stop by at a 7-Eleven and get some drinks."

"Really? That'd be awesome!"

"Well, okay, then. Let's go!"

* * *

Petunia and Kimber stopped by the 7-Eleven a few blocks down. This 7-Eleven didn't quite come to par when it came to the upkeep. The fluorescent lighting was somewhat shotty (flickering in some areas) and just a few months away from fitting right in with a Halloween horror house, the checkered tile floor hadn’t been totally clean in what looked like years (especially to the point where the white tiles looked gray), and most of the employees seemed indifferent to what was even happening around them. Still, it still stocked everything the girls would’ve ever needed.

Once they were inside the building, Petunia and Kimber immediately made their way over to the drink dispenser. So many drinks to choose from: Coca-Cola, Dr. Pepper, Sprite, Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Minute Maid Lemonade, Fanta... the list went on. Petunia could only look on in awe at the choices before her.

“Alright,” Kimber said. “I’m gonna go ahead and get these Gulp cups, lids, and straws. You want me to go ahead and get your drink while you’re at it?”

“No, no,” Petunia replied. “I wanna do it myself.”

“Okay.” Kimber handed her friend one of Gulp cups. “Alright, now you gotta get your drink.”

Petunia settled on Mountain Dew after some consideration. Not exactly healthy, admittedly, but she didn’t really care. Whitney wasn’t there to stop her. After Petunia and Kimber had gotten their drinks, they were making towards the counter when they noticed there was a perilous situation unfolding in front of them.

A man had pulled out a baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire and with nails sticking out. In front of him, the clerk looked white in the face, absolutely terrified of what could happen right here.

“Oh my God...” Kimber muttered to herself. “It looks like a robbery.”

“We gotta stop it!” Petunia exclaimed urgently.

“Petunia, no. We’re just kids. This isn’t our place.”

“But we gotta do something!”

“Oh, you know these cashiers. They can hold their own.”

“I wanna help them!”

At that moment, the man with the baseball bat whirled around and saw the two prepubescent girls in front of him.

“Two kids, huh?” the assailant asked to no one in particular. “I like those odds...”

"I will fight you!" Petunia yelled as she ran right towards the assailant.

"Petunia, no!" Kimber yelled back as she tried her best to physically restrain her friend. "He's twice the size we are!"

"So?"

"He could kill us! Is that what you want, huh?"

Petunia kept that determined look on her face for a good five seconds before it softened up. "No."

“Not so tough now, are you, kid?” the assailant asked mockingly.

A hand gripped the assailant’s arm before he could strike. The assailant turned his head around to see a clerk different from the one he was trying to rob.

"Consider your choices," this clerk said softly.

The clerk then shoved the would-be assailant into the ground and held him there while the other clerk reached for the phone.

“Wow!” Petunia exclaimed to the clerk restraining the would-be robber. “That was amazing!”

The clerk just chuckled a bit. “Thanks, I guess. Just trying to do my job.” She then focused her attention on Kimber and asked, “Are you going to pay for those drinks?”

“Yeah,” Kimber replied. “That’s kinda what we were going to do before that robber showed up.”

The clerk gave a soft smile. “Alright, bring ‘em up to the counter, please.”

Petunia and Kimber did so. While they waited for the other clerk to get off the phone and attend to them, the girls started talking amongst themselves.

“What were you thinking, Petunia?” Kimber asked quietly.

“I don’t know,” Petunia replied.

“Were you even thinking at all?”

Petunia shook her head. “Guess not.”

"I thought so." Kimber sighed. "Let's just pay for these drinks and go home, okay?"

Petunia and Kimber stopped talking after they'd paid for their drinks and left the 7-Eleven. They remained silent for a while, even after they started treading on the sidewalk. It was only when they were halfway en route for Kimber's house that Petunia finally exploded. Gravel crunched beneath her feet as she whirled around on Kimber.

"Why did you stop me?!" Petunia asked, exasperated. "I could've taken him on easily!"

"Like I said, he was twice the size we are," Kimber replied. "Plus... well, he had a baseball bat with him... with barbed wire and nails on it! Why did you think running in like that would work?"

"I don't know. Guess I wanted to be a hero or something."

"A hero would know better than to just charge in like that. A hero would work out a strategy first." Kimber started running her free hand on her bump. “A hero would think about his family.”

Petunia didn’t have an immediate response.

“You have to think before you thrust yourself head-first into situations like that, Petunia,” Kimber said. “I just don’t want to see you get hurt, that’s all.”

Petunia just huffed at this. “Fine, but only for you.”

“Good.”

* * *

As soon as they made their way to Kimber’s house, Petunia and Kimber retreated back to the latter’s bedroom and started talking about what had been happening in their lives.

“Mom wants to enroll me into a private school,” Petunia said. “I’m worried it’ll be far away from you and the rest of the gang. How can I convince her not to do it?”

“That depends,” Kimber replied while sipping on her drink. “Where do you think the nearest private school is around here?”

“I don’t know, actually.” Petunia flopped back on her friend’s bed and sighed. “I hate not feeling like I have any control over anything. Hopefully, now that I’m twelve, I might be able to convince Mom to let me do some things my way.”

“Your mom’s that strict, huh?”

“My sisters aren’t that much better. They don’t even act like my sisters. They act more like backup moms than anything else. It doesn’t help that Mom will dump me on them whenever she’s really busy with her work.”

“I’m... sorry to hear that. At least you’ve got me and Pearl and the others for now.”

“Yeah, but like you said, will that be true ten years from now?”

Kimber had no idea how to respond to that.


	9. Chapter 9

A month went by since the incident at 7-Eleven. Kimber was now seven months pregnant and entering the final trimester. She’d honestly never thought she would get this far. By now, it was fairly obvious she was expecting, and so it was getting harder to hide her condition. Loose-fitting clothes just simply weren’t enough anymore. Oddly enough, except for Aliena, the family still hadn’t caught on that she was pregnant... or maybe they did and they just hadn’t bothered to tell her that they knew.

Anyhow, after several weeks of trying to figure out a good name for the child she presumed to be her daughter, Kimber finally settled on Spinel. She'd seen that name in a book on gemstones, and she thought that it was one of the prettiest names she'd ever heard. The only problem was that she wasn't sure how seriously people would take the name. She figured she'd talk to Petunia about it whenever they decided to meet up again.

Sure enough, one afternoon in June, Petunia had gotten permission from her mother to hang out at Kimber's house. Petunia was looking forward to enjoying as much of summer break as she could, especially with Kimber. She figured it would be good if Kimber got to enjoy whatever was left of her childhood before she gave birth two months from now. Kimber had been struggling with her pregnancy lately, and the summer heat just was not helping matters at all. It was almost like she was carrying around her very own heater.

Once Petunia stopped by her friend's house, Kimber pulled her aside to ask her something.

"Yeah, Kimber?" Petunia asked back. "What's up?"

“Not much, just tired,” Kimber replied. “Anyway, I need your opinion on something.”

“Uh-huh.”

“What do you think of me naming my daughter Spinel?”

Petunia looked at her, confused on what she just heard. “What?”

“Spinel. What do you think of the name?”

“I don’t know, Kimber. Doesn’t seem like any name I’ve heard of.”

"It's from a gemstone."

"Ah. That'd be cool, huh?"

Kimber smiled at this. "Yeah, I guess that is cool. I want to set her apart from other girls."

"You should totally go for it, Kimber!" Petunia tested the name out loud. "Spinel Reynolds... I like that."

"Now you're getting it." She rubbed at her back. Already, pain had started to radiate upwards from her lower back. "Can we go sit back at my room?"

"Oh yeah, sure, rest yourself. Being preggers really wears you out, huh?"

"You have no idea."

As soon as Petunia and Kimber had made it back into Kimber's room, Kimber sat down on her bed and tried to get comfortable. At this stage, this was getting more and more difficult with each month that went by. Petunia scooted closer to her friend.

“So...” Petunia began. “Is there anything in particular you want to do today?”

“Eh...” Kimber uncertainly replied. “I’ve been feeling really tired lately. Plus, my back is killing me right now. Why don’t we stay here for now and play music for the baby?”

“Okay, what kind?”

“Well, I’ve got all kinds here, though you know just as well as I do how much I love pop music. Madonna, Shanice, Whitney Houston, Backstreet Boys, Aaliyah, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Cher, Michael Jackson, Jennifer Paige, Spice Girls... all those artists.”

“So which artist?”

“Well, I’m sure Spinel likes Spice Girls.”

“Really? What makes you say that?”

“Well...” Kimber thought about it for a moment. “Every time I play something like ‘Wannabe’ or ‘Spice Up Your Life,’ I swear I can feel her dancing to them.”

“Must be great songs if she likes them already.”

“Oh, they are. I listen to them pretty much all the time. They just exemplify girl power for me.”

“Me too. I wish I was as confident as they are!”

“Don’t we all? What about Britney Spears? Do you see her as a role model at all?”

“Yeah, but Mom hardly lets me listen to her or Christina Aguilera.”

“Well, do you want to listen to Britney Spears right now? I don’t think Spinel has heard her yet.”

“Oh yeah!” Petunia jumped up from the bed and started going through Kimber’s closet. “Hey, so where’s your Walkman? It’s gotta be in here somewhere.”

“Yeah, it is,” Kimber replied. “But I wanna play music on the CD player today.”

“Why? What’s wrong with your Walkman?”

“Nothing. I just want to change things up today.”

“Oh, okay. So you really want us to listen to Britney Spears, huh?”

“Yeah. Just get the CD player out of the closet and let’s play some tunes already.”

* * *

After a few hours, Kimber and Petunia had managed to go through the entire library of pop songs Kimber had. Kimber herself was simply just worn out from everything else that happened today, especially the dancing. Petunia, meanwhile, was still raring to go. She wanted to listen to more music, so she decided to seek out Aliena and Miranda and ask them if they had any CDs to spare.

“You just went through Kimber’s entire library and you still want more?” eight-year-old Miranda asked while intrigued by Petunia’s energy.

“Yeah, you got any?” Petunia asked back.

Miranda simply pursed her lips. She then retreated to her closet and looked through CDs of Prince, Michael Jackson, and *NSYNC. It took a bit of time, but she managed to find at least one more CD that Petunia could play.

“Alright, here you go,” Miranda just said. “Now can you please leave me alone?”

“Thanks, Miranda!” Petunia exclaimed. “This is so awesome!”

Petunia clutched the CD close to her and ran back with it to Kimber’s room. However, Kimber was already taking a nap for two, so Petunia wasn’t quite sure what to do. She could just play through the entire CD but she worried she’d wake up her best friend. She could take it home, but then Miranda would notice it was gone and throw a fit. So Petunia decided to leave the CD up on a drawer instead and join Kimber on the bed.

Petunia then started thinking about how hectic everything had been since the incident with Coral. She knew now that her mother was likely to become stricter as time went by, especially when it came to her social circle, but she never could’ve imagined how hard it would be not to hang out with her friends often. Her own mother thought she was dangerous, undoubtedly too dangerous and reckless to be in charge of a recording studio and its recording artists. Still, Petunia wasn't sure how else she was supposed to have handled the situation with the Easter egg bully. He was a jerk. As far as she was concerned, stealing eggs from a girl and her friends totally warranted getting rocks thrown at him. As if Whitney would’ve believed that...

Petunia continued to sit on the bed and reflect on her life. How in the world did she end up with Whitney as a mother anyhow? It’s not like she had much of a choice in the matter. They weren’t even related by blood, but Whitney carried her for about six months and gave birth to her anyway. Could she have been so content with a family who did and didn’t treat her with kid gloves? Maybe once she got older, she’d show them she could be trusted. She’d show them she could be trusted with anything.


	10. Chapter 10

Kimber was now eight months pregnant, a milestone she didn't think she'd reach. It certainly was... something, though. While the pregnancy itself might have sucked for the most part, it certainly had its quirks. All those cravings Kimber had throughout made her less of a picky eater, especially when it came to family dinners and social gatherings. The Fourth of July had been no different in that regard, mainly because Spinel seemed to really love hamburgers and hot dogs. While she did experience some fat-shaming along the way, Kimber also received positive attention from other kids, mainly those who were five to six years old.

She also had friends who could help her along the way, mainly Petunia and Pearl. Petunia was there to offer emotional support, and Pearl was there for medical and parenting advice. She could always count on them and Pearl’s sisters to get her through what was surely a difficult period of her life, the end of her childhood as she knew it. At least they still behaved like kids. Kimber, on the other hand... she had to grow up a lot more quickly due to this pregnancy. While she didn't necessarily like that she was changing before her very eyes, she knew that for better or worse she was getting used to it. Spinel would only help to reinforce that once she was finally born.

As July seemed to progress slowly, Kimber seemed more and more determined to make the most of her fleeting childhood. After all, her friends were having a great summer. Why shouldn’t she? Then again, given how far along she was now, she wasn’t sure how much she could do. Even now, people could almost immediately tell that she was with child. How on Earth was she supposed to have a great summer and keep Spinel safe? She’d have to figure something out.

One particular summer day, Kimber was reading a book purely for her own enjoyment. It was only a book she’d randomly picked from a bookshelf, and she didn’t even care for it all that much. Still, she had to admit that it could be a fun read. Anyhow, while Kimber was reading, she heard a knock at her bedroom door.

“Who is it?” Kimber called out to her visitor.

“It’s me, Petunia,” the visitor replied.

“Oh, okay. Come in.”

Petunia slowly opened the door, a big smile embedded on her face.

“What’s with the smile, Petunia?” Kimber asked curiously.

“There’s somewhere I wanna take you,” Petunia replied.

“Really? Where?”

Petunia’s smile grew even wider. “I wanna take you to the community pool! We’re gonna have so much fun!”

“You sure about that? I’m so far along that---”

“Yeah. C’mon, let’s go!”

“Well, hold on, Petunia. We gotta get some stuff together first.”

“Oh yeah, right, right.”

* * *

After getting together everything they needed for the community pool (whether it be water wings or life jackets), they were finally ready to go. After they’d said their goodbyes to Kimber’s family, Petunia and Kimber were off to the community pool, where they could have as much fun as humanly possible and hang out with some of their friends from school. Once at the community pool, Petunia and Kimber started looking around for things they could do. Their first stop was the lifeguard’s chair to say hello.

“Hey, lifeguard!” Petunia greeted the woman in the chair. “How are you today?”

The lifeguard just chuckled. “I’m alright. How about you girls?”

“We’re doing great, lifeguard!” Petunia cheerfully replied. “We came here to have some fun!”

“Awesome. Have fun. Make sure you follow the rules.”

“We will. Thanks, lifeguard!”

“Don’t mention it.”

With that, Petunia started heading off for the pool, with Kimber waddling right behind her. They made their way to the shallow end of the pool first, mainly because they were safer over there. While at the shallow end, they met some of Kimber’s friends from elementary school.

“Hey, Kimber!” one girl greeted her.

“So good to see you, Kimber!” another girl greeted. “Are you having a good summer so far?”

“I’m trying...” Kimber replied uncertainly.

“What’s wrong?” a third girl asked. “You sound... off.”

“Nah, I’m fine,” Kimber assured her. “It just hasn’t been easy.”

“Oh, okay. Well, I hope things get better.”

“Me too.”

“Hey, Kimber!” Petunia called out to Kimber while getting into the pool. “Are you coming into the pool?”

“Uh... yeah,” Kimber replied. “Just... just hold on.”

“Okay.” Petunia just swam over closer to the middle. “Well, I’ll be floating over here if you need me.”

“Hey, I don’t think I’ve seen that girl much before,” the third girl said. “Who is she?”

Kimber looked back at Petunia. “Oh, that’s just Petunia Diamond for you. Her mom owns Diamond Bright Records. You heard of it before?”

The third girl’s face lit up. “Oh yeah, I have! Some of my favorite singers have worked with Diamond Bright Records.”

“Oh my God, mine too!” the second girl exclaimed excitedly. “Have you even listened to any of the songs the Seven Continents put out?”

“Well, duh! Everybody knows the Seven Continents is one of the greatest girl groups of all time, Joni.”

Joni nodded. “Yep. Hey, Kimber, have you ever listened to the Seven Continents at all?”

“Uh...” Kimber didn’t have an answer for her, mainly because the question had caught her off-guard. “I guess? I might’ve heard them once while coming to school.”

“Cool, what are your thoughts on them?” Joni asked Kimber.

“Uh... I don’t know. They’re... okay, I guess?”

“Wha... what the hell do you mean they’re ‘okay?’”

“I mean they’re okay.”

Joni started trembling with anger, one of her hands already clenched into a fist. “You better take it back, Kimber, or else...”

Kimber raised an eyebrow in amusement. “Or else what?”

"I'll make you..."

Petunia whirled around in the pool as soon as she heard Joni's threat. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, what gives you the right to threaten my friend?"

"Uh, Petunia..." Kimber's attention was focused on Petunia. "I wouldn't do that..."

But Petunia didn't seem to listen. "You do not get to threaten my friend!"

"Whoa, take it easy, Miss 'My mommy runs Diamond Bright Records,'" Joni replied snidely. "This ain't none of your business."

"Like hell it isn't!" Petunia threw the first punch, which connected instantly with Joni’s lower jaw. "Don't ever threaten my friends!"

The impact of the punch threw Joni to the ground. While Joni got up, a mixture of blood and saliva dribbled out of her mouth. She quickly lifted her head up to meet Petunia’s gaze.

“Whaf thuf furk?!” Joni asked outrageously, speech garbled. “Whaf wuf thaf for?”

Petunia scoffed. “Like you don’t know.” She then kicked Joni in the shin as hard as she could. “Don’t ever threaten my friends, you hear me?!”

Joni just looked at her with fright in her eyes. “Ahr naw, Petanya...” She started scooting away. “Ahr naw...”

Kimber nervously darted her eyes back and forth. “Petunia... you shouldn’t be doing this. What if your mom finds out?”

“I don’t care!” Petunia screamed.

Petunia then proceeded to push Joni back down to the ground with her foot.

“Petunia!” Kimber yelled. “Petunia, stop!”

“What’s going on here?” asked the unmistakable voice of the lifeguard. “Are you kids fighting?”

Kimber craned her neck to see the lifeguard coming to Joni’s aid.

The lifeguard couldn’t help but fume at what she was seeing. “What the hell happened? Petunia, Joni, would you like to tell me what I just saw?”

Petunia and Joni started clamoring at her over their recollections of the preceding event.

“Slow down!” the lifeguard shouted. “One at a time!”

The two girls then proceeded to share with her their versions of what had happened.

“Alright...” The lifeguard just sighed. “Adult swim, everyone.”

“What?” Petunia asked, not seeming to believe what she was hearing. “Aw man!”

“Yeah, sorry, Petunia.” The lifeguard started gesturing at Petunia toward the exit. “You gotta go. You don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here.”

Petunia sighed. “Okay.”

* * *

Later that day, Petunia and Kimber hung out at the latter’s house. Petunia was playing with Barbies, playing out a familiar scenario she knew would be waiting for her when she got home. It was a scenario between her and her mother that Petunia knew happened almost every week. Petunia could hardly contain her emotions as she acted the scenario out with the Barbies. Her mother’s presence always seemed so suffocating, so controlling... she hated when her mother acted like this. It made Petunia wish she could live with Kimber’s family instead. They seemed so warm and inviting.

The scenario Petunia was acting out with the Barbies got too much for her. She started to cry.

“Petunia...” Kimber began. “Are you upset about what happened earlier?”

Petunia shook her head.

“Are you crying over your mom again?” Kimber asked again.

Petunia nodded.

“I... I’m sorry. I’m sorry you feel that way. You shouldn’t have to feel that way.”

“I know,” Petunia said. “One day, I hope to have a studio I can call my own. Then Mom and my sisters can stop treating me like a kid.”

Kimber patted Petunia’s shoulder. “I know.”


	11. Chapter 11

A month after the incident at the community pool, it was finally time for Petunia and Kimber to go to junior high. Petunia honestly couldn't have been happier with this new change in her life. Kimber, on the other hand... she was nine months pregnant now and so ready to have her daughter. But first, they had to go through orientation.

As the girls and their families were touring their new school and visiting their future classrooms, Petunia and Kimber would break away from their respective groups and meet up to compare classes and teachers.

"So who are you getting this year?" Petunia asked Kimber.

"Well, so far," Kimber began. "I've got Mrs. Curtis for Home Economics, Mr. Kurtzberg for Art, Ms. Mustang for English, Mr. Johnson for Social Studies, and Mrs. Dempsey for Math. What about you?"

Kimber tried to read the schedule, but the letters and numbers seemed to keep jumping around and changing shape in front of her.

"Uh..." Petunia looked to Kimber for help. "Can you read the teachers' names out loud for me?"

"Sure." Kimber skimmed over Petunia's schedule, only eyeing the important details Petunia needed to know. "Ooh, you've got Mr. Havoc for English, Mrs. Murray for Home Economics, Mr. Skinner for Math, Ms. Kramer for Social Studies, and Mr. Hollywood for Art. I envy you so much right now, Petunia.”

Petunia tilted her head in confusion. “Why?”

“I hear Mrs. Murray is the best Home Economics teacher in this school. All I’ve got is crummy old Mrs. Curtis.”

“What’s wrong with Mrs. Curtis?”

“Mom says she had her as a Home Economics teacher, and from what she told me, Mrs. Curtis was a bitch.”

“A b-word? She must’ve been really bad for you to say the b-word.”

“I guess. Mom told me a lot of stuff about Mrs. Curtis I can’t repeat to you. Makes me scared about what she’ll think of me.”

“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe Mrs. Curtis has changed since your mom was a student.”

“For your sake, I hope so. Otherwise, I don’t know how I’m going to get through seventh grade.”

“To be honest, I don’t know how I’m going to get through seventh grade, either. Mom never got me tested for dyslexia or anything. I think I’ve got dyslexia anyway. I can’t read without mixing stuff up. What am I going to do when I get in trouble with my teachers?”

Kimber wasn’t sure how to respond to that question. “I don’t know. Wait, your mom never got you tested to see if you have dyslexia?”

Petunia shook her head. “Uh-uh. She doesn’t think there’s anything wrong with me. If there really is nothing wrong with me, then why do I keep struggling with my homework and why does Mom keep getting mad at me when I struggle with it?”

“That sucks. Maybe I could step in and be a tutor for you.”

“That sounds like a good idea, but I don’t know if Mom will like it.”

“Who cares what your mom thinks? We’re friends, Petunia. We’re supposed to help each other out.”

“Yeah... we are. Maybe we can work something out, huh?”

“Yeah, especially since school starts in a few days.”

* * *

As if in the blink of an eye, the first day of junior high had finally arrived. Petunia and Kimber were both equal parts nervous and excited in how they would do in the seventh grade. Both of the girls hoped that the first day would treat them fairly enough, especially because Petunia had undiagnosed dyslexia and ADHD. Kimber was supposed to give birth any time now, so her pregnancy wouldn’t be much of an issue for the first few days.

However, why Spinel chose to be born during the first day of school was something not even Kimber could figure out. While halfway through student introductions in Ms. Mustang’s class, Kimber suddenly started experiencing twinges at her desk. At first, she had no idea why this was happening. The twinges had started in her back, but then moved on to the front. Kimber made a valiant effort to wait until class was over before she’d say something, but as the end of class drew closer and closer, Kimber found it more and more difficult to hide the pain. Finally, just before the bell rang, Ms. Mustang noticed.

“Kimber,” Ms. Mustang began. “Something wrong?”

“No,” Kimber lied in a strained voice. “Just having cramps.”

“Are you sure about that? I could just have you go to the nurse’s office and---”

“No, really, I’m fine.”

Ms. Mustang walked over for a closer look. Kimber was still in pain. The twinges were not going to subside any time soon.

“Kimber,” Ms. Mustang began again. “If you would just let me help you, I’d be more than happy to call your parents and have them come get you right now.”

“N-No, please,” Kimber insisted. “I’m alright. I just---”

Suddenly, Kimber felt something warm and wet leak out of her. Kimber didn’t need to look to know that her water had broke. All of a sudden, she seemed to find herself alone and enveloped in pain. Nothing seemed to exist beyond her and the bubble of pain surrounding her. The pain was enough to have her start crying. Ms. Mustang took this as an opportunity to call 911.


	12. Chapter 12

Petunia sat at the lunch table, wondering where the heck Kimber could've gone. The last time she saw her was when they were heading off for their respective English classes: Ms. Mustang for Kimber and Mr. Havoc for Petunia. Kimber should've come back by now. Petunia wondered if there was something wrong... if Kimber had to leave school because... because she'd gone into labor!

Petunia started panicking. She wasn't sure what to do without Kimber here. All of a sudden, Pearl stopped by and noticed Petunia while she was in the middle of panicking.

“Petunia, what’s wrong?” Pearl asked while concerned.

“I don’t know where Kimber is,” Petunia replied while starting to break down and cry. “I don’t know what could have happened to her...”

“You want me to tell you where she is?”

Petunia nodded her head yes.

Pearl nodded back. “Okay. I hear Ms. Mustang had to take Kimber to the hospital because she went into labor during class.”

Petunia just gasped. “You’re kidding!”

“I swear that’s what happened. Anyway, I don’t think Kimber will be coming back for the rest of the day. Maybe later, we can stop by the hospital and give her a visit.”

Now Petunia was starting to perk up. “Okay! Oh my gosh, I can’t wait to visit Kimber in the hospital!” She squealed with joy.

Pearl responded by putting her finger to her lips. “Petunia, not so loud. People might hear.”

“Oh, oh, right. Sorry.” Petunia started looking around for someone else. “So any idea where one of your sisters might have gone? I don’t see them in the cafeteria.”

“Oh, they’re eating outside near the playground. I came in here to eat so I could have some quiet time for reading.”

“Any chance I could eat with you while you read?”

Pearl just shrugged. “I don’t see why not. Just make sure not to squeal so loud again.”

Petunia nodded again. “Okay.”

* * *

Later that day, after Petunia had come home from school, she went straight to her room and waited for Kimber to pull through this incredibly painful ordeal. The idea of giving birth seemed so frightening for Petunia, especially at such a young age. Petunia herself wasn’t sure if she wanted kids yet, but then that was something for her to think about another time. Right now, Kimber was miles away in a hospital, giving birth with her family beside her. Petunia hoped for Kimber’s sake that things would turn out okay.

Hours passed while Petunia’s mind started drifting to what her friends could be doing at this very moment. She wondered to herself if they were worried for Kimber as well. Finally, just finally, Petunia could hear her mother calling and she bolted out of the room.

“What is it, Mom?” Petunia asked excitedly.

“I just got a call from Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds,” Whitney replied. “They just had twins!”

Petunia was confused at first, but then she remembered Kimber and she realized what had happened. “Yay, I’m so happy for them!”

“I am, too, starlight. Apparently, they already picked out names for them as well. The boy’s name is Puck and the girl’s name is Spinel.”

Petunia couldn’t help but shake in excitement. “When can we see them?”

“Tomorrow after school. That’s only if you’re really good tonight.”

“Okay, Mom. I’ll get ready for bed right now.”

* * *

The next day, after school, Petunia and Whitney went to the hospital to visit the Reynolds. Petunia couldn't wait to see them, especially Kimber. She was so curious to see what Spinel looked like and how much she resembled Kimber. She couldn’t wait to hold Kimber’s new baby in her arms. She couldn’t wait to bond with little Spinel. So Petunia had to insist that she and Whitney visit Kimber first.

After a few minutes of buying things to eat from the vending machine and walking down a hallway of hospital rooms, Petunia and her mother finally gave Kimber a visit. Petunia’s face instantly perked up when she saw her friend lying in her bed.

“Kimber, it really is you!” Petunia exclaimed.

Whitney put her finger to her mouth and shushed her daughter as if to remind her there was a baby in the room.

“Oh, right,” Petunia said quietly.

Petunia proceeded to walk over to the side of Kimber’s bed and sit on the edge. She strategically picked the spot closest to Spinel’s incubator. Spinel looked so tiny.

“So where’s your mom?” Petunia asked Kimber.

“She’s next door,” Kimber replied. “Dad said he wanted her to be close to me.”

“So how’d it go?”

Kimber glanced over to where Whitney was, knowing fully well that she was listening. “Oh, the surgery to remove my appendix? Yeah, it was... okay. That sideways scar I got was a strange incision to make for an appendectomy, though.”

“That must have been really scary.”

Kimber subtly winked at her. “I wasn’t scared. I was passed out the whole time.”

“Okay.” Petunia looked back at her mother, then focused her attention back on Kimber. “So how’s Spinel anyways?”

“She’s been doing great. She actually recognizes me as her mommy.”

“I still can’t believe you have to pretend you two are sisters.”

“That’s for the best, honestly. I don’t even know how I got pregnant in the first place. How am I supposed to be a responsible parent at my age?”

“Good point. At least your family’s helping.”

Kimber just chuckled a bit. “Yeah. Don’t forget, though: you and our friends helped me out, too, during these last several months. I don’t know how I can even thank you.”

Petunia grasped Kimber’s hand and smiled. “Actually, I should be thanking you for being such a good friend. You taught me a lot about what it means to take care of someone else. Hopefully, someday, I’ll prove to Mom and my sisters that I can be responsible as well.”

“You will, trust me.”

“Thanks, Kimber. I know I can count on you.”


	13. Chapter 13

Two years later...

Petunia and Kimber were supposed to be getting ready for high school, but all summer long, they'd been preoccupied with whether they would still be able to see each other after Petunia had to transfer to a private school. They also wondered whether Petunia becoming producer of her very own recording studio would leave them time to hang out with each other. It was a shame, really. Spinel loved it when Petunia would come over and hang out with her. Who could blame the two-year-old, after all? She'd known Petunia her whole life.

Just a day before their first day of high school, Petunia and Kimber met up at the latter's house, more than eager to tell each other about their days. Kimber let Petunia go first out of courtesy.

“Mom just set me up with some artists from her old label,” Petunia began. “They seem kinda old-fashioned to me. Personally, I was hoping to get set up with a couple boy bands or something.”

“What’s wrong with the recording artists your mom got for you?” Kimber asked curiously.

Petunia shrugged. “I don’t know. I just would've preferred someone like Britney Spears or Christina Aguilera or a band like Backstreet Boys, that's all.”

"How long have you have had this recording studio anyway?"

"Just a couple months."

Kimber placed her hand upon Petunia's shoulder. "You're still new to this. Your mom might just be helping you find your footing, that's all. Give it a bit more time."

"I'll keep that in mind. So how are you?”

“I’ve been doing well, all things considered.”

“Cool, and how's my little goddaughter Spinel?"

"Oh, Spinel? She's a great kid, probably the best one any family could ask for."

"That's good to hear." Out of the corner of her eye, Petunia caught a glimpse of Spinel. "And speaking of... there you are, you little booger!" She snatched her up in the blink of an eye. “Aren’t you just the sweetest thing?”

Spinel could only giggle while Petunia lifted her up.

“Hey, Spinel,” Kimber spoke up. “Why don’t you tell Aunt Petunia all about the day you had?”

“I had a good day,” Spinel just said. “I got to go swimmy! Then JJ took me to get ice cream, and me and Puck eated it all up.”

“Really?” Petunia asked with childlike innocence. “That sounds awesome.”

Spinel giggled some more. “Yeah, swimmy is great.”

Petunia couldn’t help but think back to the time she swam at the community pool just a few years prior. “It sure is. Are you gonna be sad when Kimber and I go back to school?”

Spinel’s face instantly changed from cheerful to solemn, and she just nodded in response.

“You know that whenever I can, I’ll be sure to visit you and Kimber, right?”

“Uh-huh.” Spinel laid her hand on Petunia’s cheek. “You’re my buddy.”

“I sure am, Spinel.” At that moment, Petunia put little Spinel down, started getting up, and then started making her way to the front door. “Well, I gotta go now. Mom wanted me to come home early so I could help her with the auditions.”

“Oh, that’s too bad,” Kimber said while she caught up to her friend. “Here’s hoping we see each other again soon.”

Petunia chuckled. “Yeah, me too. It’s just not the same going to school without you.”

“Ditto.” Kimber embraced Petunia as tightly as she could. “Good luck. Hope ninth grade treats you well.”

"Thanks, Kimber. I know I can count on you."

* * *

Just a couple hours after her first day of high school had officially wrapped up, Petunia went over to Pearl's house in hopes that they would hang out for a bit. She was also hoping Kimber could be there, but she didn't want to get her hopes up too high on that. After all, Spinel needed someone to look after her while Kimber's parents were at work. She wouldn't be too surprised if Kimber was simply at home looking after her daughter (or "sister," as she called her in public).

Anyway, as Pearl invited Petunia into her house, the latter hoped that she would have a chance to hang out with her friends before she had to go home to her mom. She was a little shocked to find Kimber and Spinel both there in front of her.

“Kimber,” Petunia began. “You did come.”

“Yeah,” Kimber replied. “My parents had to work later than usual today, so I figured I could take Spinel with me and see you here.”

“Cool. So how was your first day of school?”

“It was alright. Except for a few of our friends, nobody knows that I was pregnant two years ago or that Spinel even exists.”

“Do you think you’ll ever let them know?”

Kimber just shook her head. “I’d rather they didn’t. Otherwise, people would think of me as the school slut.”

“Man, that would suck.”

“No kidding.” Kimber looked back into Pearl’s backyard (which was home to a beautiful flower garden like the one at home), seeming to long for the days when her childhood was alive and well. “I guess I’m just ashamed of myself because I grew up too fast. I don’t want to have to put Spinel through that. She deserves to have a better childhood than I did.”

Petunia nodded in agreement. “If I ever have kids, I want them to have a better childhood than I did, too.”

“Hey, what do you say about us hanging out here in the garden?”

“Yeah, I guess I could go for that.” Petunia started following her friend into Pearl’s backyard. “After all, when are we going to talk like this again?”


End file.
